Day out in Monaco

 It was a very short train ride from Menton to Monaco, so we checked out of our hotel, left our suitcases in reception and set off. Monaco is a tiny country, the smallest in the world after the Vatican City, and is only 2.08 square kilometres.

It is also perched on an extremely steep cliff and the train goes through a tunnel deep in the rock. We disembarked and walked a few hundred metres along moving walkways in an immaculate tunnel before suddenly seeing sunlight.

We walked through a doorway and on to a beautiful expensive street with huge fancy high rise buildings. We walked a few metres in surprise, then looked back and the station entrance seemed to have disappeared. There was no station signpost, just an anonymous looking stone doorway that was about the width of a garage. 

We tried to remember what the street looked like to find it again for the journey home and then saw signposts for the Exotic Gardens. We followed them around a corner and to an elevator, where we took the lift to another expensive street. This happened twice more I think, then we walked a little way and arrived.

We have been here before, maybe 15 years ago, and it was as good as I remembered, but last time we didn't visit the caves. These were discovered in 1950 and go nearly all the way down to sea level. 

Back up in the sunshine we sat drinking coffee and admiring the whole of Monaco.

The bay is full of massive super yachts because the annual Yacht Show was held over the weekend and they haven't left yet, or maybe they are just there most of the time. 

We caught a bus back down and tried to see the Casino. Unfortunately we couldn't get near it because they were filming an American film, according to a security guard. He wouldn't tell us what it was, but it's very likely to be Oceans 11 the prequel.

We managed to get round the side and then round the back by the sea for a better angle of the Casino.

Then these are just a few photos that show how every square inch of space is used in this unbelievably built up country.

We were now down by the harbour and walked past a beach with the super yachts bobbing around in the distance.

We carried on walking, and a few minutes later we walked out of Monaco and back into France. To be honest it was a slight relief to get out of the almost Disney like atmosphere of Monaco, and back to a more normal world. 

A few minutes later a bus arrived to take us back to Menton, we picked up our cases and then caught a train to Italy. 

Menton on the French Riviera

 We arrived in the afternoon at the beautiful town of Menton on the French Riviera. 

We flew in to Nice and then took a train along the coast. Then it was about a ten minutes walk to our hotel, and a couple more minutes to the seafront.

The sun was starting to go down as we wandered along the promenade to the old town. What a lovely place. The area has been occupied for thousands of years, and a Roman Road used to go through the middle of it on its way to Arles.

Nowadays the town dates from the middle ages and is on a very steep hill.

The most dramatic section was the staircase Saint-Michel,

and the Basilica Saint-Michel at the top.

The area is also famous for its warm microclimate which is perfect for growing lemons. We tried out the lemon sorbet and it was incredible.

First thing this morning we set out on a sightseeing jog along the coast. The sun was rising in the east and the air was clear.

We jogged all of the way to the Italian border, and got the photos to prove it.

This was the turn around point, and then back along the prom towards Monaco. I was pretty tired by this point, so one last photo of me looking rough and then I stopped.

Daz heroically carried on and finished the route. 

When the blackbird sings

 We had an amazing experience last night called 'When the blackbird sings' .

First of all we had to get there, which involved catching a bus to the outskirts of Oxford to an estate called Blackbird Leys. The estate was built in the 1950's and 1960's to re-house people from the delapidated inner city areas, including where we now live. It also housed factory workers from the nearby motor plants and people from the Caribbean who came to work for the NHS, factories and other jobs.

All of the audience met in the local pub, although Darren and I were some of the few who bought a drink because it was cash only. And then after a quick check of our headsets we were off to meet Paulette, our guide for the evening.

Paulette was a time travelling cleaner from 1966 who lived in Blackbird Leys and caught the bus to her job in the centre of Oxford. She narrated the evening and sat next to Darren for part of the journey. She chatted with the conductor and various other people who got on the bus. 

We had travelled a couple of miles and then the bus was stopped by a loud protest. A group of sufferagettes waving placards wouldn't let us pass and marched up and down yelling 'votes for women'. 

Eventually they let us go past, and then a hippy from 1969 who took drugs and didn't believe in money got thrown off by the conductor, while a pastor who had escaped from Nazi Germany in 1942 came and sat next to me. He was very polite and gave me a lemon sherbert that had apparently been in his pocket for a long time. 

Once in Oxford we all got off to meet Alan LeRoy Locke who was the first African American Rhodes Scholar. He also later wrote a famous book that Paulette was carrying with her. 

The evening carried on in this style and we also went to the original meeting of Oxfam - originally Oxford famine relief for Greece during WW2, then we met an Indian princess who went to Somerville College, Dudley Thompson who was one of the first black pilots in the RAF, and St Frideswide from 727 who fled a forced marriage and became patron saint of Oxford. 

Once back on the bus we were joined by a very sweary pregnant lady who was desperate to get to the hospital to give birth to her fifth baby, but was very nasty to Paulette. 

Finally, back at the Schwarzman Centre, we followed a procession of Caribbean nurses fighting against discrimination and for equal pay. 

What a strange, funny, educational and fascinating event. 

Open Doors weekend day two

Today we started at a building called Blavatnik School of Government. It's part of the overall University and is 'designed to support the School's mission of inspiring and promoting better government around the world'. Probably quite a difficult task. 

Unfortunately it was raining so we didn't get a photo from the outside, and I think that it will be impossible to imagine it's shape from these pictures of the interior. We thought that it was great, and they also had a superb choir singing chamber music.

Next we went to Somerville College which is practically next door. This is quite a modern college and only established in 1879. It was the first Ladies Hall in Oxford and they worked for many years to get Oxford to allow women to take degrees, and finally achieved this in 1920. The most famous former student was Margaret Thatcher. 

Moving on we went to St John's College, just as the rain started to slow down. This is a huge college dating from 1555,and is full of beautiful old buildings. 

To be honest, I am getting confused as to what we saw where as we have seen so much over the weekend. Everything is starting to blur together and what is left is the remembrance of a great day. 

However the next visit was definitely to the Bodleian Library and the Divinity School. 

This was basically one spectacular room that was originally used for lectures, exams and theology discussions. It was built between 1427 and 1483,  and it was extremely busy so we didn't stay long.

Lunch break, then on the road again, starting at Corpus Christi College and this podium with a swan on top is the first thing that you see on the way in. 

Next door is Merton College, and this is a  very good one. It has the usual lovely buildings and a particularly large garden. 

The garden overlooks the water meadows of Christchurch College, and this stone table is in a great position to enjoy the view. 

Both C S Lewis and J R R Tolkien, who were great friends were inspired by the table. Mr Lewis used it as inspiration for the scene in The lion, the witch and the wardrobe, where Aslan the lion was sacrificed. Mr Tolkien didn't use the table in a book, but actually used the table as a writing desk whilst creating Lord of the rings. 

Then on to St Edmunds college, known locally as Teddy's. The high point, quite literally was when we climbed the stairs in the tower to the top of the library. 

Lovely views of the spires of Oxford from the windows. We were actually in the old church which is now converted into the library and has 87 spiral stairs with books on all of the floors. 

Then visits to Harris Manchester College which was nice but not exciting, and Wadham College with its elegant front facade. 

Jesus College - this was founded by Queen Elizabeth the First in 1571. She never visited it but there is a superb portrait of her in the dining room. 

Phew, what a weekend.